MLB News

Canha recalled hours before Angels finale

By
Doug PadillaSpecial to MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Mark Canha promises his bat is just as hot as it was this spring and his focus remains as sharp as it was in the desert, even if his recent travel schedule has left him a bit short on sleep.

Canha was officially recalled to the A's on Sunday, and arrived in the Oakland clubhouse at Angel Stadium around two hours before first pitch.

ANAHEIM -- Mark Canha promises his bat is just as hot as it was this spring and his focus remains as sharp as it was in the desert, even if his recent travel schedule has left him a bit short on sleep.

Canha was officially recalled to the A's on Sunday, and arrived in the Oakland clubhouse at Angel Stadium around two hours before first pitch.

"I had a 6 a.m. flight out of New Orleans this morning and I connected in Dallas," said Canha, who was held out of Nashvlle's game Saturday night in anticipation that he might be needed in the Major Leagues on Sunday. "It was an early morning for me, not much sleep. But I'm good."

Canha replaces outfielder Boog Powell on the roster, after the outfielder was placed on the 10-day disabled list. Powell sprained a ligament in his right knee in Friday night's game at Anaheim and will leave the road trip to have an MRI in Oakland on Monday.

Canha's presence means the roster is loaded with right-handed hitting outfielders, other than Matt Joyce, but the A's are fine with that for now because left-handed pitching opponents await.

When the A's go to Dodger Stadium for a brief two-game interleague series starting Tuesday, they will face lefty starters Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu on consecutive days. Canha and recently added outfielder Trayce Thompson will vie for playing time in that series.

Even though he did not make the roster out of Spring Training, the A's have plenty of faith in Canha, whose 17 hits in Major League games this spring were tied for second most on the club. Canha hit four home runs with 10 RBIs and batted .362 with a 1.104 OPS in 47 Arizona at-bats.

"We've seen Mark be a very productive hitter for us," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He had a great spring and hit a home run in his first game in Triple-A. He has always, over the last couple of years, been a big part of this team. It's just sometimes he hasn't been here."

Canha played in just two games with Nashville, going 2-for-8 (both hits went for extra bases). He was concerned over downtime between the end of the spring schedule and the start of the Triple-A season, but it turned out to be a non-issue.

"Whenever you're swinging the bat well and see results like that, especially toward the end when the season's coming, it always feels good," Canha said. "It's always nice to have confidence going into Day 1. I was a little worried about being rusty from having so many days off, but it still feels good. As a hitter you just want to hold on to this as long as you can."

He was a bit groggy Sunday, but said he had a cup of coffee to get his blood flowing. So just the one coffee?